Tony DeAngelo, Seven Others Placed On Waivers
March 8: Katchouk is heading from the Blackhawks to the Senators, Lagesson is going from the Maple Leafs to the Ducks, and Björnfot is going from the Golden Knights to the Panthers. The five other players on waivers yesterday cleared.
March 7: Eight players, including Hurricanes defenseman Tony DeAngelo, were placed on waivers Thursday, per Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff. The full list is as follows:
Calgary Flames
D Jordan Oesterle
Carolina Hurricanes
D Tony DeAngelo
F Brendan Lemieux
G Antti Raanta
Chicago Blackhawks
F Boris Katchouk
Florida Panthers
G Evan Cormier
Toronto Maple Leafs
D William Lagesson
Vegas Golden Knights
D Tobias Björnfot
Of note, players who are assigned to the minors after clearing waivers tomorrow will be eligible to play in the AHL’s Calder Cup Playoffs. Players must be on loan to the AHL at the time of the trade deadline to be cleared to play in postseason action.
The Hurricanes’ trio of waived players is purely for roster flexibility ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic says. It’s unclear if any of the three players will be assigned to AHL clubs if they pass through unclaimed. The Hurricanes are the only NHL team without a dedicated AHL affiliate.
Raanta, a pending UFA with a $1.5MM cap hit, has a decent chance at being claimed by a team looking to add a backup netminder for free by tomorrow afternoon. That could very well include the Flyers, who have struggled to find consistency in the crease outside of breakout starter Samuel Ersson. Raanta has struggled this season with a .872 SV% and 2.99 GAA behind a stout Hurricanes defense, but he’s now posted a SV% above .900 in each of his last three appearances and could be on the upswing at just the right time. With Frederik Andersen returning to health after a months-long absence and both Pyotr Kochetkov and Spencer Martin playing well, Raanta appears unlikely to be back with Carolina this season regardless of whether he gets claimed.
Oesterle will likely head to the minors after being pushed down the Flames’ defensive depth chart. The club has brought in Joel Hanley off waivers and Daniil Miromanov via trade from the Golden Knights this week, eliminating the need for Oesterle as a depth option on the roster for now. The 31-year-old has two assists and a -6 rating in 22 games.
Assigning Katchouk to AHL Rockford will allow Chicago to clear a necessary roster spot ahead of Saturday’s game against the Capitals. Both Andreas Athanasiou and Nikita Zaitsev are expected to play, per Mark Lazerus of The Athletic, and will need to come off injured reserve to do so. The Blackhawks only have one open roster spot, so one more needed to be cleared.
Cormier was not signed to an NHL contract, so the Panthers inked him to a one-year, two-way deal ($775K NHL/$75K AHL) for the remainder of the season before waiving him, per PuckPedia. The 26-year-old has a .868 SV% and 1-2-2 record in five games for AHL Charlotte this season and a .910 SV% and 8-5-3 record in 18 games for ECHL Florida. By signing him to an NHL contract, he’ll be eligible to be on the Panthers’ roster in the postseason as added goaltending insurance if necessary.
Toronto’s waiving of Lagesson was reported earlier Thursday. He’s been designated non-roster while on the waiver wire, creating the necessary roster space for Joel Edmundson, who was acquired from the Capitals today. He’s dressed in 30 games for the Leafs, notching four assists and a +5 rating while averaging 14:31 per game.
Meanwhile, Björnfot, a 2019 first-round pick of the Kings, lands on waivers for the second time this season. Vegas claimed him off waivers from Los Angeles in January, but he played in just two games for them while battling injuries, posting a -2 rating while averaging 14:01 per game. Assigning him to AHL Henderson would create an open roster spot ahead of tomorrow’s trade deadline, allowing the Golden Knights to make a potential third acquisition after bringing in Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha.
Senators Claim Boris Katchouk Off Waivers
The Ottawa Senators have claimed forward Boris Katchouk off of waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. Katchouk has been with the Hawks for the last three seasons, totaling 117 games and 26 points with the club.
Katchouk has largely served in a full-time NHL role since making his debut with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2021-22, playing in just nine AHL games since. That includes six games with the Rockford IceHogs this season, where Katchouk has scored three goals and five points. But while he’s stayed on an NHL roster, his role hasn’t grown much – with Katchouk regularly rotating into the lineup as a depth winger. He’s totaled 155 career games over the last three seasons, averaging just under 11-and-a-half minutes each game and scoring a total of 32 points.
Katchouk will now join a Senators lineup that recently traded winger Vladimir Tarasenko, forcing them to rely on call-up Jiri Smejkal to fill their fourth line. Smejkal has managed just one assist in 10 games this season, adding 19 points in 39 AHL games. It’s his first year in North America, after spending the last seven years touring across Europe’s top leagues, playing in the KHL, Czechia Extraliga, Liiga, and SHL. He’s proven productive in every league, though he hasn’t yet found his scoring groove in Canada. Some healthy competition could be exactly what he needs, now battling with an experienced depth forward in Katchouk.
Blackhawks Place Taylor Raddysh On IR, Recall Boris Katchouk
The Blackhawks have made a pair of roster moves this morning as the team announced that they’ve placed winger Taylor Raddysh on injured reserve with a left groin strain. Taking his place on the roster will be winger Boris Katchouk who has been recalled from AHL Rockford.
Raddysh was a bright spot on Chicago’s offense last season, putting up 20 goals and 17 assists in 78 games in his first season of being a full-fledged regular after coming over from Tampa Bay in 2022. That was good for a tie for fourth in team scoring. However, production has been harder to come by this year as the 25-year-old has been limited to just five goals and five assists through 35 games so far despite logging over 16 minutes a night in playing time. Those numbers will stay put for the time being as with the placement, Raddysh will be out for at least the next week after being injured in the first period last night against Dallas.
As for Katchouk, he came to Chicago in the same swap as Raddysh but hasn’t had the same level of success. He had 16 points in 58 games last season and was with the Blackhawks for the first couple of months of the year, notching two goals and two helpers in 17 contests before clearing waivers earlier this month. Since then, he has played in six games with the IceHogs, picking up three tallies and two assists. He can play in ten games or be up for 30 days before needing to go through waivers once again.
Blackhawks Place Boris Katchouk On Waivers
12/12: Chris Johnston of TSN is reporting that Katchouk has successfully cleared waivers, and will report to Rockford.
12/11: The Blackhawks placed winger Boris Katchouk on waivers Monday for the purpose of assignment to AHL Rockford, according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
Katchouk, 25, has been a healthy scratch in four straight games. His last appearance came on December 3 against the Wild, in which he registered a -1 rating and one shot on goal in 12:55 of ice time.
As The Athletic’s Scott Powers notes, forwards Joey Anderson and Cole Guttman have impressed the team since they recalled them from Rockford around Thanksgiving, and they’ve both surpassed Katchouk on the team’s internal depth chart. While there’s no pending injured reserve activation forcing the Blackhawks to clear a roster spot, the organization would rather Katchouk see consistent game action in the minors rather than have him sit in the press box in the NHL.
Drafted 44th overall by the Lightning in 2016, Katchouk spent nearly six years in Tampa Bay before the Blackhawks acquired him as part of the deal that sent Brandon Hagel to the Sunshine State in 2022. Katchouk struggled immediately after the swap, logging just one goal and a -10 rating in 21 contests with Chicago to close out the campaign.
His numbers improved in the following season, but he’s still provided marginal offense in a replaceable bottom-six role. In 96 total contests with Chicago since the trade, Katchouk has eight goals, 13 assists, 21 points, and a -18 rating while averaging 11:40 per game. He has, however, posted solid possession metrics dating back to last season, including a relative Corsi mark of 3.3% at even strength in 2022-23, despite seeing primarily defensive zone usage.
It’s unlikely he’ll ever reach the scoring potential he flashed by posting over a point-per-game in the minors in the Lightning organization in 2020-21, but he is a high-energy player who should end up back in the league at some point if he passes through waivers unclaimed. This season, Katchouk has two goals and two assists, along with a +2 rating, in 17 contests with Chicago. He’s in the final season of a three-year, $2.275MM deal carrying a $758,333 cap hit and will be a restricted free agent with arbitration rights next summer.
Boris Katchouk Expected To Miss 4-6 Weeks
The Chicago Blackhawks announced this afternoon forward Boris Katchouk is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a left ankle sprain. Katchouk, 24, was injured in yesterdays preseason game against the Detroit Red Wings, leaving without returning. The injury appeared to happen as Katchouk took a hit behind the net and subsequently fell to the ice.
Although the injury is tough news for Chicago and for Katchouk, who had been playing well this preseason, it could open the door for a young forward to draw into the lineup. Known as a key physical presence whenever he is in the lineup, Katchouk made his NHL debut last season as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he played 38 games prior to being dealt to the Blackhawks in the Brandon Hagel trade. Once he returns, Katchouk should have plenty of opportunities to shine as a part of a rebuilding Blackhawks roster.
Also as part of the Blackhawks announcement, forward Jujhar Khaira is considered day-to-day with an ankle injury of his own. Khaira’s status is a relief for both team and player considering the 28-year-old missed two-thirds of last season due to injury. Much like Katchouk, Khaira doesn’t bring incredible offensive talent, but when healthy contributes to the physical side of the game, which should prove important to this year’s Blackhawks.
Lightning Place Boris Katchouk In COVID Protocol
March 10: Katchouk has been loaned to the AHL on a conditioning assignment, suggesting he’s now out of the protocol and can play some games at the minor league level to get back up to speed.
March 6: While there has been a significant reduction of players entering COVID protocol since the All-Star break, there are a handful of players that have been put in there in recent weeks. The latest is Lightning winger Boris Katchouk as Joe Smith of The Athletic relays (Twitter link) that the youngster has entered COVID protocol.
The 23-year-old made his NHL debut in mid-October and has been able to hold onto a spot on the roster all season. Katchouk has played in 37 games this season, picking up two goals and four assists along with 25 penalty minutes while averaging 9:48 per game.
Since the All-Star break, testing is generally only required if a player is symptomatic. However, it’s also needed to cross into Canada (where the Lightning are heading on Monday) so the whole Tampa Bay team was tested with Katchouk being the only one to test positive. As a result, he’ll be out for at least the next five games – tonight’s contest against Chicago plus the four-game trip in Western Canada. Katchouk should be able to return on March 16th.
Tampa Bay is able to take Katchouk off their active roster but it’s unlikely they’ll do so as they don’t have enough cap space to bring anyone up from AHL Syracuse. Instead, they’ll have to make do with only one extra skater on their road trip.